Hogshead.



Patented lune l8, l90l. J. RICHARDS.

H0 6 S H E A D.

(Application filed June 12, 1900.)

(No Model.)

1m: uomus PETERS co.v PHOTO L|TMG.. WASHINGTON. D c.

UNITED STATES f PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN RICHARDS, OF GLASGOW, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF TVVO-THIRDS TO HERMAN MORRIS, OF SAME PLACE, AND JOSEPH F. WALKER;

HOGSHEAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 676,587, dated. June 18, 1901.

Application filed June 12,1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN RICHARDS, a citi-- zen of the United States, residing at Glasgow, in the county of Barren and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful I-Iogshead, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hogsheads; and the object is to produce a hogshead which can be readily removed from and subsequently secured upon bulk tobacco, for use in connection with which it is especially designed.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in each of the views in which they occur, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved hogshead with the parts intact. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the hogshead fully separated and removed from its contents. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hogshead and its support, the contents being shown in dotted lines; and Fig.- 4 is a perspective view of the support for the hogshead and its contents.

In handlingleaf-tobacco in bulk it is often necessary to remove the exterior covering or hogshead for the purpose of exposing the contents for elfecting a sale, 850. It frequently happens that this exposure must occur several times before the tobacco is finally disposed of, thus necessitating the removal and replacing of the hogshead for each exposure. In the present system the bottom hoops and liners on the hogshead are torn off in such a manner as to make them unfit .for use and leaves the stavessecured only at one end, with the result that each stave stands out separately, and frequently the hogshead falls to pieces. In addition to this it requires considerable time and labor to replace the hogs- 40 head and secure the staves in position, which adds to the costand trouble of disposing of the tobacco. Still further, the parts torn off and thrown away must be replaced with new parts, and frequently some.of the staves become detached and lost, which must also be replaced, thereby adding to the trouble and expense. To avoid these objections, I have found that by removing the old liner and placing in a new liner or removing a portion Serial No. 20,063. (No model.)

of the liner 1 adjacent to the head 2 and saw ing the liner and the lower hoop 3 in two at one or more points on a line with the space between two staves 4 and supporting the hogshead 5 and its contents 6 upon a rim or support 7 the hogshead may be readily re moved from the contents without permitting any of the staves to become separated from each other except upon the line of division on which the hoop and liner have been separated. After the hoop and liner have been separated a retaining strip or piece of hoop 8 is secured to the staves upon opposite sides of the line of separation for the purpose of temporarily holding the staves in position. The rim or support 7 is then secured to the head by means of fasteners 9, which may be ordinary nails or screws. The rim or support is of a sufficient height that when the hogshead is turned up on end the rim will support all parts of it above the floor, thereby permitting of the removal and the replacing of the hogshead upon the contents Without its touching the floor.

The ends of the rim preferably overlap each other, as shown at 10, and may be adjustable, if desired, by overlapping said ends to a greater or less extent. The rim fits Within the liners of the hogshead, so that the head may rest directly upon the rim and the fasteners 9 project upwardly from the rim at suitable points for engaging with the head and holding it in position.

After the liner and the hoop of the hogshead have been cut in the foregoing manner. and the support secured to that end thereof the hogshead is placed on end, so as to rest upon the support. The retaining-strip Sis then removed, and the hoop 12 at the upper end is loosened and moved toward the upper hoop 11 or removed from the hogshead en- 0 tirely, which will release the pressure upon the staves of the hogshead. When loosened in this manner, the hogshead can be readily lifted from its contents and placed .to one side until it is desired to again inclose the tobacco. The lower hoop 12, or bulge-hoop, as it is called, may be removed or it may be cut in two in the same manner as the lower or. chime hoop and the upper bulge-hoop removed or loosen'ed sufficiently to permit .of the separation of the portions comprising the hogshead.

If the bulge-hoops should be securedto the staves by means of nails or other fasteners, thefasteners can be easily withdrawn before the hoops are moved. When it is desired to recooper the tobacco or to replace the hogshead thereon, the hogshead, which is usually formed from light material, is easily placed over the tobacco as it was before. The lower end of the hogshead is then drawn together by any suitable means-as, for instance, by

means ofa rope or other suitable clamp. One

or more retaining-strips are then secured to the staves upon opposite sides of the dividing-line between the sections comprising the hogshead. The bulge hoops are then returned to their original positions and the hogshead turned over upon its side and the rim or support detached from the head thereof. If it should be desired to again expose "the tobacco, the new liner may be removed liability of any of the parts becoming broken or lost, thereby permitting of the rapid manipulation of the hogshead and reducing the expense for the same to the minimum.

If desired, the liner may be left intactthat is, without removing any portion of it adjacent to the head 'of the hogshead. Instead of the hogshead being used upon tobacco only it is evident that it can be used upon any other bulk material which will reand hoop at one end being substantially even with the abutting edges'of two staves of the hogshead, of a support detachably secured to the head, of a greater height than the distance from the head of the hogshead to the ends of the staves adjacentthereto, substantially as described.

JOHN RICHARDS \Vitnesses:

THOMAS FISHER, HOWE RALSTON. 

